R127.35 million for TRC-identified victims

Government has called on 4,245 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)-identified victims or their rightful next-of-kin to come forward and claim their final once-off R30,000 reparation.

This was announced by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) on 12 February 2026, when it published a 55-page list of victims identified by the TRC for reparations.

The DoJ&CD said that verification will be required, however this seems tough given that many are referred to on a first-name basis only.

The TRC was a court-like restorative justice body established in 1996 to help South Africa confront its apartheid past through truth-telling rather than purely punitive measures.

It aimed to document human rights abuses, provide a platform for victims to share their experiences, and promote national healing.

Dullah Omar, former Minister of Justice, said that “a commission is a necessary exercise to enable South Africans to come to terms with their past on a morally accepted basis and to advance the cause of reconciliation.”

Over its tenure, the TRC succeeded in recording thousands of violations, ranging from torture and killings to abductions, yet its efforts to compensate victims have been widely criticised as inadequate and frustratingly slow.

Established under the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act of 1995, the TRC was chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and structured around three main committees.

The Human Rights Violations Committee collected over 21,000 statements from victims, documenting the scale and severity of apartheid-era abuses.

The Amnesty Committee offered immunity to perpetrators who provided full, truthful accounts of politically motivated crimes, aiming to encourage openness and reconciliation.

Meanwhile, the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee was tasked with identifying victims and recommending measures to restore their dignity, including financial, symbolic, and social support.

In its report, the TRC proposed a comprehensive reparations package for survivors. It recommended financial grants ranging from R102,174 to R138,138 over six years.

In practice, however, the government implemented a much-reduced scheme, offering a once-off payment of R30,000, viewed by many survivors as a “pittance.”

The TRC also called for bursaries for victims’ descendants and specialised healthcare services. While some educational support has been rolled out, medical assistance remains largely unimplemented.

Symbolic reparations were partially enacted, including exhuming remains, renaming streets, and constructing monuments such as Freedom Park.

Despite the establishment of the President’s Fund, which held nearly R1.9 billion as of late 2025, progress on reparations has been slow.

According to reasons given over the years by DoJ&CD ministers, several factors contribute to the delay.

A strict eligibility criterion, often called the “closed list,” limited access to those who testified before the TRC by the original deadline, excluding thousands of victims unable to participate due to fear, remote locations, or lack of awareness.

Draft regulations for housing, community rehabilitation, and specialised healthcare have remained in “advanced stages of development” for over two decades, while bureaucratic obstacles have further stalled implementation.

Survivor groups, such as the Khulumani Support Group, argue that the government has deprioritised TRC matters, resulting in continued protests outside the Constitutional Court.